France 6 - Wales 16: Great North run a winner

Wales showed real heart, character and brute strength to bounce back from their dismal defeat at home to Ireland

The strong-man wing crashed over in the left-hand corner just eight minutes from time to lift the gloom over Wales and get them back to winning ways.

Leigh Halfpenny converted to clinch an unexpected and badly-needed win in Paris.

The only try of an ultra-physical and tightly contested game also inflicted a shock second successive defeat of the Six Nations on Les Bleus, following their humiliation in Rome.

Wales showed real heart, character and brute strength to bounce back from their dismal defeat at home to Ireland the week before. On a pitch that cut up badly, they refused to buckle under fierce French power.

Halfpenny cancelled out Frederic Michalak’s penalty in a closely- fought first half with ­neither team giving an inch.

The full-back kicked Wales ahead with Francois Trinh-Duc missing a drop goal attempt. Michalak squared it up with his second penalty. But it was left to North to grab the spotlight, racing on to a kick through to break centre Maxime Mermoz’s tackle and dive over the line.